Grades of Steel

WMS PERFORMANCE · Aug 23, 2015

Hex tool manufacturers do not all use the same type of alloy steel. Chrome vanadium, 1050 carbon steel, S2, and 8650 are all common grades in use.

*Protanium® Steel is a proprietary alloy steel developed and used only by Bondhus. It is the hardest, most ductile, and longest wearing steel that exists in the hex tool industry.

*8650 is the most common grade in use throughout the U.S. and the Far East. It does not have the hardness or ductility of Protanium® Steel

*Chrome Vanadium is about comparable in quality to 8650. It is used primarily in Europe.

*Chrome Moly is similar to Chrome Vanadium, but is somewhat stronger and harder. Because it is fairly expensive, manufacturers generally only use it on their higher grade and higher priced tools like ball head products, and substitute lower grades for their other tools. Europe and Japan are the primary users.

*S2 is used by only a small number of manufacturers. It is harder than 8650, but it is also less ductile, more costly, and far more prone to shattering.

*1050 carbon steel is low-grade steel that is inferior to those listed above. It is still used by some manufacturers in Europe and Asia.

Some of the factors that affect the performance of steel, and the tools manufactured from it, are: hardness, ductility, grain size, alloy composition, and heat treating. Metallurgists and tool makers understand that behind these characteristics stand the deeper concepts of lattice structure, bonding, crystal formation, dislocations, phase transformation, quench rates, and heat treating to mention just a few.

source: http://www.bondhus.com/metallurgy/body-1.htm

Olafur · Aug 24, 2015

Perhaps off topic but I have noticed bit sockets with S2 bits are surprisingly strong - for the price. Available under many different names. VIM and Toptul come to mind.

hautpot · Aug 24, 2015

PB hex wrenches FTW. "Protanium" doesn't feel as strong. Beta are also superior to bondhus in my usage.

Negen · Aug 24, 2015

I also prefer s2 for my hex bits because they seem to be able to hold a magnetic charge a bit better. My Lenox 6 in 1 has s2 steel bits and hold magnetic charge much better than my greenlee 6 in 1 which had Chrome Vanadium bits in it.

anurag1990 · Aug 24, 2015

Any decent tool manufacturer sticks to tool manufacturing codes and standards. Every country has its own standards, and a manufacturer can make tools conforming to several such standards.

If i talk about asian manufacturers, they do make chrome vanadium tools, chrome moly and every other type ot tool steels thats conceivable.

As for chrome moly, its hardness is less than chrome vanadium. This trade off in hardness makes it better in taking impact loads and a sudden brittle fracture is prevented, as is always warned that using chrome vanadium in impact wrenches can make them shatter.

Also, chrome molybdenum isnt for only expensive tools, its usage is governed by for what purpose the tools is to be made. Impact tools are always chrome moly, no matter where the manufacturer is from.

Also, dont make assumptions as if europe or usa has got the best steel. today with vast documentation available, and whole manufacturing, heat treatment and every process minutely documentated, every steel manufacturer can produce any grade of steel.

Wakefield · Aug 24, 2015

Steel is proprietary? Some manufacturers have their own recipe ? Electric furnace? Special metallurgical coal?
Small batches made in crucibles in ancient times,secret recipes?
Program on PBS "Nova" about Vikings with rare swords made of high grade steel
"Ulfberht"

hangfirew8 · Aug 24, 2015

WMS PERFORMANCE said:
*Protanium® Steel is a proprietary alloy steel developed and used only by Bondhus. It is the hardest, most ductile, and longest wearing steel that exists in the hex tool industry.

It's both the hardest, and the most ductile steel? Someone didn't go to class that day.

dutchgray · Aug 24, 2015

hautpot said:
PB hex wrenches FTW. "Protanium" doesn't feel as strong. Beta are also superior to bondhus in my usage.

I'm a big fan of PB Swiss hex wrenches also.
I believe Beta forge the ball ends rather than machine them, which would be why they are particularly good.

sberry · Aug 24, 2015

Also, dont make assumptions as if europe or usa has got the best steel. today with vast documentation available, and whole manufacturing, heat treatment and every process minutely documentated, every steel manufacturer can produce any grade of steel.

I fundamentally agree with this and have to add that adequate is a concept which in the real world may be close to best. The cheap common hard line tool has got so good it does the same job as a good one used to. We started out all USA and a lot of stuff kind of worked its way in. I think there are bout 2 plants left in the world make that stamped roll pouch wrench set, anything above that is pretty good.
The adjustable that ATD and some of their other stuff they slap their lable on is pretty fricken good too. I paid 12 of the shelf for some 3/8 wobble extensions 15 yrs ago, they were so good we got another set. As for the adjustable if I had but 1 I can take its that one.
Its got so good it doesn't have to be the best to work well.

larry_g · Aug 24, 2015

hangfirew8 said:
It's both the hardest, and the most ductile steel? Someone didn't go to class that day.

Someone also failed reading comprehension. Change the quote and all bets are off, your added red words change the whole meaning of the sentence.

lg
no neat sig line

toddoky · Aug 24, 2015

anurag1990 said:
Any decent tool manufacturer sticks to tool manufacturing codes and standards. Every country has its own standards, and a manufacturer can make tools conforming to several such standards.

If i talk about asian manufacturers, they do make chrome vanadium tools, chrome moly and every other type ot tool steels thats conceivable.

As for chrome moly, its hardness is less than chrome vanadium. This trade off in hardness makes it better in taking impact loads and a sudden brittle fracture is prevented, as is always warned that using chrome vanadium in impact wrenches can make them shatter.

Also, chrome molybdenum isnt for only expensive tools, its usage is governed by for what purpose the tools is to be made. Impact tools are always chrome moly, no matter where the manufacturer is from.

Also, dont make assumptions as if europe or usa has got the best steel. today with vast documentation available, and whole manufacturing, heat treatment and every process minutely documentated, every steel manufacturer can produce any grade of steel.

Uh yeah, I disagree with a few statements here. Just because a certain steel supplier can produce steel of high quality doesn't mean they necessarily do and not all suppliers can produce all types of steel...what can be produced at any facility depends on the type of equipment they are in possession of.

ZRX61 · Aug 24, 2015

WMS PERFORMANCE said:
*Chrome Vanadium is about comparable in quality to 8650. It is used primarily in Europe.

& Ford F350 chassis rails....

JR 42 · Aug 24, 2015

"S2 is far more prone to shattering" than what, exactly? S7?

I thought the S grades were developed specifically for shock resistance. I'm no metallurgist, but something doesn't seem right... :headscrat

JR

JR 42 · Aug 24, 2015

Never mind this post, reading uncomprehension on my part...

Still confused about shock steel shattering, though.

JR

hangfirew8 · Aug 24, 2015

larry_g said:
Someone also failed reading comprehension. Change the quote and all bets are off, your added red words change the whole meaning of the sentence.

lg
no neat sig line

That someone would be you. Reread their statement. It's the hardest. It's the most ductile. They make BOTH claims, one claim AND the other.

-HF

neophyte · Aug 24, 2015

hangfirew8 said:
It's both the hardest, and the most ductile steel? Someone didn't go to class that day.

larry_g said:
Someone also failed reading comprehension. Change the quote and all bets are off, your added red words change the whole meaning of the sentence.

lg
no neat sig line

hangfirew8 said:
That someone would be you. Reread their statement. It's the hardest. It's the most ductile. They make BOTH claims, one claim AND the other.

-HF

The claim that Bondhus is making about their proprietary "Protanium" steel is;

"*Protanium Steel is a proprietary alloy steel developed and used only by Bondhus. It is the hardest, most ductile, and longest wearing steel that exists in the hex tool industry."

The claim is that that amongst manufacturers that make hex wrenches, their proprietary steel has the highest wear resistance, most ductility, and is the hardest.

Bondhus doesn't specify with that statement whether "the hardest" refers to surface hardness or thru hardness. Since Bondhus also claims their steel has the highest ductility amongst hex wrenches, they may use a heat treating process that case hardens the hex wrenches, resulting in a very hard surface, while maintaining a highly ductile steel core. With a case hardened steel wrench, the harder more brittle area of steel on the surface might be thin enough that it would bend and flex with the inner core, whereas a tool made from an alloy made from a thru hardened alloy would have to be tempered more to retain ductility, or if not tempered as much would be more likely to shatter.

Bondhus' claim may also be based on assigning a numerical value to each attribute of hardness, wear resistance, and ductility. If values are determined for hex keys from other brands using the same criteria, than may have based their claim on having the highest numerical value for the combination of attributes.

pozidriv · Aug 25, 2015

I would assume that that quote wasn't written by Bondhus' metallurgists/engineering department, but rather by the marketing wankers. So to paraphrase larry; all bets are off

ZRX61 · Aug 27, 2015

Minor one: Measured once instead of twice & drilled two holes the other day.... then ended up drilling two more holes the correct distance apart about 1inch above the original two. Luckily the two extra holes are hidden behind what I was hanging on the wall.

& the pisser is, I KNOW better.

Cato · Aug 28, 2015

So does anyone know what grade hand tool makers use?

I'm very curious to find out if a Harbor Freight combo wrench is made of a different grade steel than a Snap On, or Craftsman USA or Craftsman China.

Are manufacturers all using 8650?

uart · Aug 28, 2015

Cato said:
So does anyone know what grade hand tool makers use?

I'm very curious to find out if a Harbor Freight combo wrench is made of a different grade steel than a Snap On, or Craftsman USA or Craftsman China.

Very likely yes.

Are manufacturers all using 8650?

No, almost certainly not.

That quote from the Bondhus literature is referring specifically to (quality) manufacturers of star and hex tools, which typically have to withstand a lot more stress (force per cross section) than say a typical wrench. I wouldn't read from that passage that it's what's generally used for wrenches.

SAE 8650 is standardized grade of Nickel Chrome Moly steel. Mostly it's the higher end tool brands that use good quality standardized steel grades like this (where there really is some guaranty of what alloy you're getting).

While a company like Bondhus might say: "how can we improve the metallurgy", and come up with a propriety alloy that exceeds the specifications of even a high grade standardized alloy like 8650, it is far more likely that a company making cheap imports asks the question: "How can we reduce the amounts of Chromium and Vanadium to a bare minimum and still be legally able to stamp "Cr-V" on them for marketing purposes".

Wakefield · Aug 28, 2015

The quality of iron based metal has a lot to do with how well it has been held at hot temperature,hammered on, allowed to cool,exposed to oxygen scavenger material.
Reprocessed steel containing traces of impurities? Are cheap tools cast from liquid metal poured into molds?

Cato · Aug 28, 2015

uart said:
it is far more likely that a company making cheap imports asks the question: "How can we reduce the amounts of Chromium and Vanadium to a bare minimum and still be legally able to stamp "Cr-V" on them for marketing purposes".

I could see a "premium company" doing the same to maximize profits.

Rogue1987 · Aug 28, 2015

WMS PERFORMANCE said:
*Chrome Vanadium is about comparable in quality to 8650. It is used primarily in Europe.

*Chrome Moly is similar to Chrome Vanadium, but is somewhat stronger and harder. Because it is fairly expensive, manufacturers generally only use it on their higher grade and higher priced tools like ball head products, and substitute lower grades for their other tools. Europe and Japan are the primary users.

Feel free to correct me but I thought Chrome Moly was more ductile than Chrome Van, which would make it not as hard. I may be wrong but I really don't think so.

uart · Aug 29, 2015

Cato said:
I could see a "premium company" doing the same to maximize profits.

Not in exactly the same way though.

A premium company might well ask the question: How can we reduce the amount and cost of our alloying ingredients and still maintain comparable quality and performance. Yes that's totally valid. Indeed, many of today's common low alloy steels like CrMo were originally tweaked to their current formula with exactly these considerations.

A really low end tool producer however is more likely to look at it as: How low can we go and still legally be able to advertise it as Cr-V, primarily for marketing purposes - quality and performance very much a secondary issue.

theoldwizard1 · Aug 29, 2015

Rogue1987 said:
Feel free to correct me but I thought Chrome Moly was more ductile than Chrome Van, which would make it not as hard. I may be wrong but I really don't think so.

I'm not sure that "ductile" is the correct word. I would say "tougher", able to with stand an impact or strain (bend) without permanent deformation.

Any of the 41xx steels are called ChroMoly (ChromeMoly). 4130 is commonly used in round/square tubes in race cars.

Grades of Steel

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